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Greek city of
Alexandria Troas in
Troas
Pseudo-Autonomous Issue
Bronze 21mm (5.44 grams) Struck 3rd Century A.D.
Reference: Bellinger, Troy A 495; SNG Copenhagen 104-7 var.
CO TRO AV, Turreted bust of City-goddess, Tyche right; behind, vexillum
inscribed CO. / AV.
COL. AVG. TRO., She-wolf standing right, suckling the twins, founders of Rome,
Romulus and Remus.
A coastal city situated
south-west of Ilion, it was founded circa 310 B.C. by Antigonos and originally
bore the name Antigoneia. A decade later Lysimachos renamed the place
Alexandreia.
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Remus and
Romulus are Rome’s twin
founders
in its traditional
foundation myth
. They are descendants of the
Trojan prince and refugee
Aeneas
, and are fathered by the god
Mars
or the demi-god
Hercules
on a royal
Vestal Virgin
,
Rhea Silvia
, whose uncle exposes them to die in
the wild. They are found by a she-wolf who suckles and cares for them. The twins
are eventually restored to their regal birthright, acquire many followers and
decide to found a new city.
Romulus
wishes to build the new city on the Palatine Hill; Remus prefers the Aventine
Hill. They agree to determine the site through augury. Romulus appears to
receive the more favourable signs but each claims the results in his favour. In
the disputes that follow, Remus is killed.
Ovid has Romulus invent the festival of
Lemuria
to appease Remus’ resentful ghost.
Romulus names the new city
Rome, after himself, and goes on to create the
Roman Legions
and the
Roman Senate
. He adds citizens to his new city
by abducting the women of the neighboring
Sabine
tribes, which results in the combination
of Sabines and Romans as one Roman people. Rome rapidly expands to become a
dominant force, due to divine favour and the inspired administrative, military
and political leadership of Romulus. In later life Romulus becomes increasingly
autocratic, disappears in mysterious circumstances and is deified as the god
Quirinus
, the divine persona of the Roman
people.
The legend of Romulus and Remus encapsulates Rome’s ideas of itself, its
origins, moral values and purpose: it has also been described as one of the most
problematic of all foundation myths. Romulus’ name is thought to be a
back-formation
from the name Rome; Remus’ is a
matter for ancient and modern speculation. The main sources for the legend
approach it as history and offer an implausibly exact chronology: Roman
historians dated the city’s foundation variously from 758 to 728 BC. Plutarch
says Romulus was fifty-three at his death; which reckoning gives the twins’
birth year as c. 771 BC. Possible historical bases for the broad mythological
narrative remain unclear and much disputed. Romulus and Remus are eminent among
the
feral children of ancient mythography
.
Alexandria Troas (“Alexandria of the
Troad
“, modern
Turkish
: Eski
Stambul) is an ancient
Greek
city situated on the
Aegean Sea
near the northern tip of
Turkey
‘s western coast, a little south of
Tenedos
(modern
Bozcaada
). It is located in the modern Turkish
province of
Çanakkale
. The site sprawls over an estimated
400 hectares (1,000 acres); among the few structures still extant today are a
ruined bath and gymnasium complex and a recently uncovered stadium.
Aleaxandria Troas Therme
History
Hellenistic
According to Strabo
, this site was first called Sigeia;
around 306 BC
Antigonus
refounded the city as the
much-expanded Antigonia Troas by settling the people of five other towns
in Sigeia, including the once influential city of
Neandria
. Its name was changed by
Lysimachus
to Alexandria Troas, in memory of
Alexander III
of Macedon
(Pliny
merely states that the name changed from Antigonia to Alexandria). As the chief
port of north-west Asia Minor, the place prospered greatly in Roman times,
becoming a “free and autonomous city” as early as 188 BC,[3]
and the existing remains sufficiently attest its former importance. In its
heyday, the city may have had a population of about 100,000.
Strabo
mentions that a
Roman
colony
was created at the location in the reign
of Augustus
, named Colonia Alexandria Augusta
Troas (called simply Troas during this period). Augustus,
Hadrian
and the rich grammarian
Herodes Atticus
contributed greatly to its
embellishment; the aqueduct still preserved is due to the latter.
Constantine
considered making Troas the capital
of the Roman Empire
.
Roman
In Roman times, it was a significant port for travelling between
Anatolia
and Europe.
Paul
of Tarsus
sailed for Europe for the first time
from Alexandria Troas and returned there from Europe (it was there that the
episode of the raising of
Eutychus
later occurred).
Ignatius of Antioch
also paused at this city
before continuing to his martyrdom at Rome.
Byzantine
Several of its later
bishops
are known: Marinus in 325; Niconius in
344; Sylvanus at the beginning of the 5th century; Pionius in 451; Leo in 787;
Peter, friend of the
Patriarch Ignatius
, and adversary to Michael,
in the ninth century. In the 10th century Troas is given as a suffragan of
Cyzicus
and distinct from the famous
Troy (Heinrich
Gelzer, Ungedruckte … Texte der Notitiae episcopatuum, 552;
Georgii Cyprii descriptio orbis romani
,
64); it is not known when the city was destroyed and the diocese disappeared.
The city remains a
titular see
of the
Roman Catholic Church
, Troadensis; the
seat is vacant following the resignation of the last bishop in 1971.
Troas is also a titular see of the
Orthodox Church
under the
Ecumenical Patriarchate
. The most recent
hierarch, His Grace Bishop Savas (Zembillas) of Troas, served 2002-2011. He is
now
Metropolitan Savas (Zembillas) of Pittsburgh
in
the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
.
Ottoman
Karasid
Turkomans
settled in the area of the Troad in
the 14th century. Their
beylik
was conquered by the Ottomans in
1336. The ruins of Alexandria Troas came to be known among the Turks as Eski
Stambul, the “Old City”. The site’s stones were much plundered for building
material (for example
Mehmed IV
took columns to adorn his
Yeni Valide Mosque
in
Istanbul
). As of the mid-18th century the site
served as “a lurking place for bandetti”.
Modern
By 1911 the site had been overgrown with
vallonea oaks
and much plundered, but the
circuit of the old walls could still be traced, and in several places they were
fairly well preserved. They had a circumference of about ten kilometres, and
were fortified with towers at regular intervals. Remains of an ancient bath and
gymnasium complex can be found within this area; this building is locally known
as Bal Saray (Honey Palace) and was originally endowed by Herodes Atticus
in the year 135. Trajan
built an aqueduct which can still be
traced. The harbour had two large basins, now almost choked with sand. It is the
subject of a recent study by German archaeologists who are digging and surveying
at the site. Their excavation has uncovered the remains of a large stadium
dating to about 100 BC.
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